B13: [1] Mohd Muktar (Mas) bt [5/8] Mohammed Alsarraj (Jor)
               14/2, 9/11, 11/5, 11/5
G13: [1] Sivasangari Subramaniam (Mas) bt [2] Andrea Lee (Mas)
               11/7, 11/7, 9/11, 12/10
B15: [2] Mohd Syafiq Kamal (Mas) bt [1] Ng Eain Yow (Mas)
               11/6, 6/11, 11/5, 15/13
G15: [1] Uen Shan Choi (Hkg) bt [2] Jadeleen Jiaee (Mas)
               10/12, 15/13, 11/6, 11/6
B17: [Ahmad Alsaraj (Jor) bt [1] Tayyab Aslam(Pak)
               11/7, 14/16, 11/8, 11/8
G17: [1] Ka Po Ho (Hkg) bt [3/4] Saumya Karki (Ind)
               17/15, 10/12, 11/5, 11/3
B19: [3/4] Danish Atlas Khan (Pak) bt [2] Ramit Tandon (Ind)
                9/11, 11/7, 11/4, 11/5
G19: [3/4] Anaka Alankamony (Ind) bt [1] Tsz Wing Tong (Hkg)
                 6/11, 11/8, 10/12, 11/7, 11/7

Major Maniam's Roundup

The 18th Asian Junior Individual came to an end last night with everyone singing the praises of Jordan Squash for an excellent job done.

The final day commenced at 9.30a.m. with all the plate finals. The main events started at one. Players from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, India and for the first time Jordan featured in the finals. The sub-junior event was dominated by the Malaysians as they took home both the under 13 titles and the boys under 15 title. Hong Kong grabbed the girls under 15 and 17 titles whilst Jordan deservedly took the under 17 boys title. The blue ribbon event went to India in the girls and Pakistan in the boys.

The under 13 girls was an all Malaysian affair with number 1 seed Sivsangari sailing past her team mate and No.2 seed Andrea. The under 13 boys was keenly contested with the partisan crowd cheering for home favourite Mohd.Alsarraj, but the top seed Mohd. Mukkhtar of Malaysia held his ground to disappoint the local fans. The under 15 girls Uen Shan Choi the No.1 seed was down in the first game and the Malaysian camp was excited but Uen came back strongly to romp home with a 3-1 victory. The under 15 boys was an all Malaysian affair with Mohd Kamal the second seed edging the top seed Eain Yow.

The under 17 girls was closely contested between the top seed Ho Ka Po of Hong Kong and Saumya Karki the3-4 seed of India. It was 1 all in games, and thereafter the top seed tightened up her game and Saumya went down tamely. The under 17 boys was easily the highlight for the locals. It was 95 minutes of exhilarating squash as the top seeded Pakistani Tayyab Islam was ousted in an upset by Ahmad Alsaraj in four closely fought games. The first ever Asian title for Jordan.

The under 19 girls was another closely fought contest over 75minutes. Up to 7-7 in the 5th it could have been anyones’ game. Somehow the never say die attitude of Anaka edged the aggressive style of Tong causing yet another upset. The final match of the day was between the flamboyant Ramit Tandon of India and Danish Atlas of Pakistan.

The Indians were quietly confident as Ramit had defeated Danish in the Asian junior team finals in Sri Lanka in January this year. It looked like their dreams were going to be answered as Ramit took the first game easily and was 7-2 up in the second. This is where Ramit lost his plot and as much as he tried, Danish held him at bay to take home the title to a much relieved Pakistan camp.

We were well past the schedule time by now. The prize presentations commenced at around 9.30 p.m
A minutes silence was observed in remembrance of the late Yousef Mohsen from Kuwait a past vice president of the the ASF who passed away tragically in a motorcycle accident last month.

The prize presentation was brief but served the purpose. Everyone then rushed of to get into their best for the closing dinner. Immediately after a sumptuous dinner the formalities began.

Mr.Srivatsan Subramaniam the Vice President thanked everyone but singled out Dr.Ramzi Tabbalat the President of Jordan Squash and a renowned cardiologist in Jordan for his efforts in ensuring the success of the championship. Dr.Tabbalat ensured surgical precision in everything he did; in fact he did do everything. He would first do the rounds at the courts with his camera clicking away at unsuspecting subjects.

Then he would be behind the computer scrutinising the results and making his daily reports. All other administrative matters were also handled by him in a calm and collected manner and always with a smile on his face.

Dr.Tabbalat in response thanked his wonderful team and conveyed his profound thanks to the indefatigable Sivanesen, the Secretary General of the ASF. ‘The numerous emails exchanged on a daily basis and all the support Siva extended ensured the 18th Asian Junior Individuals achieved the success it had’, he said. Appreciation was also give to the 3 ASF referees, Rajiv Reddy, Ibrahim Kamal & Leslie Ponnampalam.

It was indeed a fitting finale as throngs of young players streamed onto the dance floor strutting their stuff. They danced late into the night; after all there was no training the next day.
 
What a week it has been. Dr. Tabbalat, Srivatsan Subramaniam, K. Sivanesen, referees, players, volunteers, and parents; take a bow.


ASF Technical Director

Malaysian Viewpoint
Andrew Cross reports
 
First main final of the day saw Sivasangai taking on Andrea Lee in what proved to be an interesting contest with Sivasangari having won the last won 3-2 12-10 in the fifth. In this match Siva started better and won the first two games but in the third when it was close she went for a unnecessary cross court nick and handed the momentum to Andrea and she accepted the gift no problem to take the third game. The fourth was close all the way and with Andrea leading 8-5 and having game ball in the fourth it looked as though it was going to a fifth but Siva regained her composure just in time to end it in four games.

In the boys under 13 event Mohd Farez Izwan was taking on local favourite Mohd Alsarraj. The first game was very close but Farez just took it 13-11. In the second Farez raced to a 7-1 lead only for him to find himself 10-8 down and he lost the second. In the third again he got away but this time closed it out 11-5 before again being dominant in the fourth 11-4.

Girls under 15 final featured Jadeleen Lee against Choi Uen Shan and it was the Hong Kong player that prevailed 3-1. All games were close but it seemed to depend on who hit the most tins. Both girls will have been pleased with how they play.

Last final for the Malaysians was the boys under 15 final and it was an all Malaysian affair with Syafiq Kamal playing Ng Eain Yow who are training partners back in KL. It was always going to be close with both boys covering the court well and showing an amazing array of shots.
 
Syafiq took the first game but Yow soon levelled by taking the second. Syafiq won the third comfortably but Yow and his never say die attitude was never going to give Syafiq the fourth and pushed him all the way to 14-12. A great match and both boys will be very happy with what they achieved this week.
 

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Champion Anaka
Cyrus Poncha reports

Anaka Alankamony won the girls under 19 title at the Asian Junior Championships here in Amman, Jordan defeating top seeded Tsz Wing Tong from Hong Kong in a thrilling 5 games. While Ramit Tandon in the boys under 19 and Saumya Karki in the girls under 17 fall at the final hurdle.

Anaka avenged her defeat of the Asian Team Championships earlier this year to notch up her maiden victory against the tournament favourite Tsz Wing Tong. Anaka was unable to handle the excessive bounce and speed of the ball through out the match as Tong kept the ball hard and low consistently. The first game was quickly won by Tong 11-6. Anaka started off well in the second game slowing down the pace by playing a few drops, gaining a small lead, Tong made made it easier for Anaka hitting her boasts into the tin. Anaka won the second game 11-8.

A very close game in the third with both players having their chances, Tong won it 12-10 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Anaka played defensive and things did not look right, but at crucial points in both the fourth and fifth games Anaka held her nerves and did not make single error to win both games 11-7 and lift the Asian title once again for India following her contemporaries Joshana Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal.

“16 year old Anaka who is eligible to play the under 17 category was determined to play & win the under 19 title. It is a remarkable achievement, we have work hard towards achieving this goal.” said national coach Cyrus Poncha.



Anaka naturally elated with this victory could not hold her emotions back and thanked her parents, all coaches at the Indian Squash Academy, the Squash Rackets Federation of India for all its support, the ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, her equipment sponsors Harrow and clothing sponsors Nike.

Next on court, Ramit Tandon looked like making it a double for the Indians. Showing his superior racket skills and control Ramit played near perfect squash to win the first game 11-9 & take a 7-2 lead. It seemed to be a one sided affair, but Danish kept the ball in play and picked up the pace win 9 straight points and with it the match thereafter. Ramit was unable to get back into the match going down 11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 5-11.

Earlier, Saumya Karki went down fighting to top seeded Ho Ka Po in 4 games. The first was crucial for Saumya going down 17-15. Although she then won the second game, Ho Ka Po was in lethal form winning the match 17-15, 10-12, 11-5, 11-3.

It was a successful tour for the Indian contingent who will return home with 1 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze medals.

The Dead Sea Trip

Ramzi's Roundup

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The Malaysian View
Andrew Cross reports

Friday saw 11 Malaysians staking a claim for a spot in the Asian Junior Championship finals, there were 3 all Malaysian semi finals so we were guaranteed at least 3 finalists.

First on was Tan Yan Xin against Anaka Alankamony and although it was close Yan Xin just made too many errors at the crucial times to give Anaka a 3-0 win.

The rest of the semi finals all took place in the evening first on were the girls under 13 and it featured the first all Malaysian match with Sivasangari taking on Zoe Foo. It was an evenly contested match that could have gone either way and was much closer than the last time they played in Penang two weeks ago. However Sivasangari still won and she will face close rival Andrea Lee who was made to work for five games by Japanese player Satomi Watanabe.

In the girls under 17 event Yong Sue Ann was up against Saumyi Karki and the effects of the match from the previous day seemed to have caught up with her and she bowed out comfortably 3-0.

Mohammed Fraez Izwan was tested againt Ranjit Singh of India and he will have been happy to have made it through in four close games but knows today he faces an extremely tough test against Mohammed Alsarraj who defeated surprise of the tournament Shamil Wakeel in a very vocal match from bot sets of supporters.

Boys under 15 saw Darren Chan taking on Syafiq Kamal with both enjoying playing to the front of the court and demonstrating their racket skills it was Syafiq who won 3-0 this time. In the other semi final saw British Junior Open champion Ng Eain Yow taking on Tsen Hei Yuen and Yow just showed his slightly greater experience to come away with a 3-0 win.

In the girls under 15 event Jadeleen Lee took on Aika Azman on all four games were extremely close and could have gone either way but Jadeleen just took the match 3-1.

The finals will see two all Malaysian clashes in the Girls under 13 and the Boys under 15 with Jadeleen Lee taking on Choi Uen Shan of Hong Kong in the Girls under 15 age group and Mohammed Fraez Izwan taking on Mohammed Alsarraj in the Boys under 13 event.
 

Three Indians in the Finals
Cyrus Poncha reports

Three Indians will feature in the finals at the Asian Junior Championships being held in Amman, Jordan.

In the girls under 19, Indian national champion Anaka Alankamony performed brilliantly to defeated 2nd seeded Tan Yan Xin from Malaysia in straight games. Yan Xin had defeated Anaka in her last encounter but today Anaka was in total control of the match dominating from the very start. Anaka won without dropping a game. Unfortunately it was not be be an Indian double. Aparajitha who defeated Le Ka Yi yesterday, certainly had her chances against top seeded Tong. In the first game Aparajitha let a 10-5 lead slip away and was struggling to find her depth thereafter. Winning the third game Aparajitha once again had her chance to level the score at 10-9 in the fourth but Tong showed her mettle to hold on and clinch the game 15-13.

In an all Indian boys under 19 semi final, Ramit Tandon defeated Mahesh Mangaonkar in a hard four games. Both players gave their all for every point but Ramit was the more consistent and used his flair in the front to justify his national ranking. Ramit will play Danish Atlas Khan in the final, a repeat opponent from the Asian team Championships.

Saumya Karki seeded 3/4 defeated 2nd seeded Sue Ann Yong from Malaysia with a clinical performance. Apart from a lack of concentration in the middle of the 2nd game Saumya showed she was well and truly ahead of her opponent winning convincingly.

5 Indians did not make it to the final round but will pick up a bronze medal - Ranjit Singh (boys under 13), Adya Advani (girls under 15), Kush Kumar (boys under 17) Aparajitha Balamurukan (girls under 19) & Mahesh Mangaonkar (boys under 139

Today's results are:

Girls Under 19
Tsz Wing Tong [1] bt Aparajitha Balamurukan [5/8] 14-12 11-9 9-11 15-13
Anaka Alankamony [3/4] bt Tan Yan Xin [2] 11-7 11-6 11-8

Girls Under 17
Saumya Karki [3/4] bt Sue Ann Yong [5/8] 11-3 11-9 11-2

Girls Under 15
Uen Shan Choi [1] bt Adya Advani [3/4] 11-7 11-6 11-6

Boys Under 13
Mohd Farez Izwan Mohd Mukhtar [1] bt Ranjit Singh [3/4] 11-7 9-11 11-7 11-9

Boys Under 17
Ahmad Khaleel Alsaraj [2] bt Kush Kumar [3/4] 11-9 11-8 12-10

Boys Under 19
Ramit Tandon [2] bt Mahesh Mangaonkar [3/4] 9-11 11-7 11-6 11-8

Day Three Roundup:

The quarterfinals all ended this morning setting the stage for tomorrow’s much anticipated semifinal battles.

In the Girls under 17 group, the number one seed Ka Po Ho from Hong Kong beat Pansy Chan also from Hong Kong 3:0. Ka Chu seeded 3/4 from Hong Kong beat Mao Yuan from Singapore 3:0. Saumya Kark seeded 3/4 from India beat Rachel Arnold from Malaysia 3:0.

The last of the quarterfinal matches was between Sue Ann Yong seeded 5/8 from Malaysia and the number 2 seed Tze Ho from Hong Kong. Both girls played at a level beyond the expectations of the fully packed gallery. Sue Ann finally prevailed winning over Tze Ho 3:2.

In the Girls under 13 group, the number one seed from Malaysia Sivasangari Subramaniam needed 4 games before she could win over Aishwarya Bhattacharya from India 3:1. Zoe Foo also from Malaysia easily beat Nikita Joshi from India 3:0. Satomi Watanabe from Japan beat Ka Ho from Hong Kong 3:0. The number 1 seed Andrea Lee from Malaysia finished Akansha Salunke from India 3 straight games.

The semifinals are due tomorrow afternoon.

The players took the whole afternoon off as they all prepared for the trip to the Dead Sea
 

Online Results

Malaysians Day 3

6 Malaysians were in action today with four more progressing to the semi finals of the Asian Junior Squash championships.

Sanjay Singh was first on court and won comfortably 3-0 although he dropped his concentration in the third allowing his opponent to get closer than he would have liked.

Next was Rachel Arnold and Yong Sue Ann both playing higher seeded opponents, Rachel Taking on Saumya Karki from India and Yong Sue Ann taking on Tze Lok Ho of Hong Kong.

Rachel lost 3-0 but the games were very close and could have gone either way. She will be happy with her performance againt a more experienced and physically stronger opponent due to the age difference.

Yong Sue Ann played very well this morning to upset the number two seed in a brutal 5 set match that went all the way to a tie break in the fifth. Sue Ann just managed to steal the first in a tie break but lost her length and width in the second and lost 11-5. Sue Ann was leading 8-3 in the third when tiredness seemed to set in and a string of rallies just got away and she never won another point in the game losing 11-8. In the fourth Sue Ann was dominant racing away to a 7-2 lead before eventually closing out the game 11-4.

By the time the fifth had begun a crowd had developed eagerly anticipating the final outcome and both girls delivered a brilliant final game. Shouting and cheering from both countries was now common after every rally and the girls were necka dn neck all the way. At 8-8 Sue Ann got ahead to 10-8 and had chances to win but she failed take them. We were soon back level at 10-10 and again Sue Ann got ahead only for Ho to level at 11-11, a string of lets then followed and a stroke to Sue Ann handing her a fourth match ball. More Drama followed with a couple more lets and eventually a straight drive to the forehand resulted in a win. A very good match from both girls.

In the girls under 13 event Zoe Foo, Andrea Lee and Sivasangari all progressed to the semi finals at the expense of Indian players. Zoe will take on Sivasangari tomorrow and Andrea will face Satomi from Japan.

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The Malaysian Viewpoint
Andrew Cross reports

Wednesday saw many of the quarter finals taking place with most age groups fighting for a spot in the semi finals on Friday.

Addeen Idrakie and Affeeq Abedeen both played well against Danish Atlas khan and Mahesh Mangaonkar. Both boys played well and were unlucky to not take at least one game.

Boys under 15 quarter finals saw 3 Malaysia players against 3 Indian players with Malaysia winning 3-0 however they were quite tight. The toughest of them being Syafiq Kamel needing 4 games to beat an awkward Yohan Pandole. The first three games were close until Syafiq took control in the fourth to ease home.

Darren Chan played well to beat Sandeep Ramachandran and Ng Eain Yow was given a little test by Aishwarya Singh.

Malaysia will be guaranteed a finalist in this age group with Syafiq playing Darren and the other semi final will be Eain Yow against Tsun Hei Yuen of Hong Kong.

In the girls Under 15 Aika Azman moved comfortably into the semi finals where she will take on fellow Malaysian Jadeleen Lee who needed four games to overcome Harshit Kaur.

Tan Yan Xin also progressed to the semis in three games with a win over Choi Yu Ra of Korea. She started each game well but made it close by hitting a few tins. She will be happy to be in the semis but there is a tough match waiting with her opponent being Anaka Alankamony.

The girls under 17s Quarters are taking place in about an hours time with Rachel Arnold taking on Saumya Karki and Yong Sue Ann playing Tze Lok Ho.

Later in the morning will see three more Malaysian looking for a spot in the Semis Andrea Lee, Zoe Foo and Sivasangari.

In the afternoon there will be a trip to the dead sea which has been organised by the tournament officials.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the tournament officials for organising this trip something which we are all very grateful for.

22-Jun, Day Two:

The morning started with the quarterfinals of Boys under 13. In the first match the number one seed Mohd Mukhtar from Malaysia had no problem at all downing Aryaman Adik from India in straight games.

In the second quarterfinal match Ranjit Singh scored an easy win over Hamad Al-Amri from Qatar 3:0. The local star Mohammad Alsarraj beat Robin Mann from India 3:0 while the unseeded Shamil Wakeel from Sri Lanka continued his drive toppling the 5/8 seed Solomon Ravi from India in straight games.

In short the morning was not good for the Indian contingent seeing 3 of their players lose in a quarterfinal. Mukhtar will now face Singh, and Alsarraj will face Wakeel in the semifinals on Friday afternoon.

The Boys under 17 quarterfinal matches of the morning drew big crowds who enjoyed top squash. In the first match the number one seed Syed Bukhari from Pakistan defeated Tomotaka Endo from Japan 3:1.

Tayyeb Islam from Pakistan faced the fit and dynamic Ho Yeung from Hong Kong. The match witnessed the longest rallies of the tournament so far, with both players not wanting to commit errors, forcing the ball to the back court. Islam finally prevailed winning the match 3:0. He will face his countryman Bukhari in the semifinals on Friday afternoon.

It was all Indian in the third quarterfinal match, with Kush Kumar downing Deepak Misra 3:1. He will face the local favourite Ahmad Alsaraj from Jordan in the semifinal. Alsaraj beat Soheil Shameli from Iran 3:0.    

In the Boys under 19 category, Nasir Iqbal from Pakistan and the number one seed unnerved his teammates and coach when he lost the first game to Abishek Pradhan from India 9-11. Iqbal quickly adjusted and won 3 consecutive games to end the match 3:1.

His fellow countryman, Danish Atlas Khan, was playing in the next court blowing his Malaysian opponent Muhd Bahtiar 3:0. Both Pakistani winners will meet in the semifinals on Friday afternoon. Mahesh Mangaonkar and second seed Ramit Tandon, both from India, finished their matches in straight games against Affeeq Ismail from Malaysia and Jae Jin Yoo from Korea. They will meet in the semifinals.

The first round of Girls under 13 kicked off this afternoon. Seven matches were played with all seeded players advancing to the second round. 

In the Boys under 15 quarterfinals number one seed Ng Yow from Malaysia beat Aishwarya Singh from India 3:0, while Tsun yuen from Hong Kong beat Benedict Chan from Singapore 3:0. Both winners will meet in the semifinals on Friday afternoon.

In the other half of the quarterfinals Darren Chan from Malaysia beat Sandeep Ramachandran from India 3:0 and Mohd Kamal from Malaysia beat Yohan Pandole from India 3:1. Both winners will meet in the other semifinal match on Friday     

No upsets were recorded In the Girls under 15 quarterfinals, as all four seeded players advanced to the semifinals when Uen Choi from Hong Kong meets Adya Advani from India and Aika Azman meets Jadeleen Jiaee, both from Malaysia. Their semifinals are scheduled on Friday.

All in all it was a fantastic day of junior squash. Most players will have a rest tomorrow when activities will shift to the Dead Sea in an afternoon of swimming at the lowest point on Earth   

India at the Asians
Cyrus Poncha reports

Aparajitha Balamurukan made her maiden appearance in the Asian Junior Championships semi final after defeated higher ranked 3/4 seed Ka Yi Lee from Hong Kong in a thrilling 5 set encounter in her quarter finals of the Girls under 19 being held in Amman Jordan.

Having lost to Ka Yi Lee earlier this year at the Asian Team Championships in Sri Lanka, Aparajitha showed her determination to take revenge. The first game saw Aparajitha play flawless drives to rattle her opponent from the back winning it 11-8.

In the second, Aparajitha became deceptive and Ka Yi Lee was unable to handle the pace and control of Aparajitha winning with the same margin.

Aparajitha looked eager to win the match and played more to the front as required giving Ka Yi Lee openings which she put away. A strong fight back from Ka Yi Lee to win the third and fourth game levelled the score and 2-2. Aparajitha started the fifth game with the same aggression she played the first game.

Ka Yi Lee made a series of errors and was unable to get into the game losing the match. Aparajitha’s final score read 11-8 11-8 8-11 7-11 11-5.

Joining Aparajitha was 3/4 seeded Anaka Alankamony who defeated country mate Ankita Sharma in straight games.

There was more joy for the Indian’s as the following reached the semi finals - Ranjit Singh (Boys under 13), Adya Advani (Girls under 15), Kush Kumar (Boys under 17), Ramit Tandon & Mahesh Mangaonkar (Boys under 19) & Aparajitha Balamurukan & Anaka Alankamony (Girls under 19).

The girls under 13 & 17 quarterfinals are tomorrow in which India will be represented strongly represented.

Milo All Stars 2011      Penang Junior Open 2011

Junior Teams, Jan 2011, Sri Lanka        Asian Juniors, Jul 2010, Sri Lanka

21-Jun, Day One:
Asian Juniors under way in Amman

Major Maniam reports

168 players from 15 countries are in Amman, Jordan for the 18th Asian Junior Individual Championship – the entries being a record number for an Asian Championship, senior or junior. The Under-13 and Under-17 age categories have been added to the existing Under-15 and Under-17.

The Opening Ceremony last night was brief but exciting. ASF Secretary General, Mr.K.Sivanesen thanked the host for the grand start and said that if the ceremony was used as a yardstick we are in for a grand championship.

The President of Jordan Squash Federation, Dr. Ramzi Tabbalat thanked ASF and the participants and wished everyone success.

India has come with the largest contingent of 32 players with 4 players in each of the 8 categories. Sri Lanka is second with 27 participants.

Today’s matches started on time at 9.00 am and the second session at 3.00 pm. I’m very impressed with some of the talents on display and we will certainly hear of them in time to come. Second day matches will be at 9.00 am tomorrow.

Day One Roundup:

The Squash complex was bustling with players and supporters. 93 matches were played, each with its own intensity and excitement judging by the cheering crowd.

In one of the best matches of the day Korean Joong Hwan went neck in neck to defeat D.S Gunawardane of Sri Lanka by 3 games to 2 (11-3 2-11 11-6 6-11 11-5) in the category of boys under 19. While in the same category Affeeq Ismail of Malaysia beat Yousif Saleh of Kuwait 3 games to 1 (11-9 11-8 5-11 11-9) in a hotly contested match.

Moreover the highlight of today's matches was between Mohd Farhan of Malaysia and Hong Kong's Ho Wai Yeung, Both demonstrated top skill and endurance, The game ended in Wai Yeung's favour 3/0 (11-7 11-3 11-5).

The only major upset of the day was the unexpected loss of the second seed of boys under 13 Kwok Chu from Hong Kong against the unseeded Shamil Wakeel from Sri Lanka by 3/1 (11-5 4-11 11-8 11-7)

Local favorite Hamza Zubaidi playing in the boys under 15 category lost to Singapore's Benedict cha by 3 game to nil. The other local hero and the number 2 seed in the boys under 17 category Ahmad Al Saraj won an easy match this morning against Kavinda Hurrule from Sri Lanka by 3/0.

In his second round afternoon match he met Pang Ka Hoe from Singapore. Ahmad’s overwhelming confidence cost him his first game, but realizing he was battling a tough opponent, Ahmad re-gathered focus to end the game 3 to 1 in his favor.

 

Online Draws

The Malaysian Viewpoint
Andrew Cross reports

Malaysia has 17 players competing in the 18th Asian Junior Championships in Amman Jordan.

Yesterday 12 players were in action, for the boys it was a busy day with the older age groups playing 2 matches and the under 15's and 13's having one match each.

Affeeq Abedeen had two tough matches starting with 4 close games against Yousef Nazir Saleh from Kuwait and then Ryosei Kobayashi of Japan again coming through in 4 tough matches.

Addeen Idrakie had a slightly easier moving into the quarter finals to play Danish Atlas who beat another Malaysian Sanjay Singh comfortably 3-0.

Our boys under 17's were going to find it tough and both lost yesterday to higher seeded opponents and as a result both will play each other today.

Boys Under 15 saw contrasting matches Syafiq Kamel and Darren Chan moved into the quarter finals with little problems, whilst top seed Ng Eain Yow was made to work harder by local boy Ali Assaf. It was close until in the fourth game Ali was forced to retire with a leg injury but he will be happy with his performance.
Onto the girls and only 3 were in action yesterday with all three winning but they will find the matches getting tougher.

Quarter final matches have just begun with Mohd Farez Izwan winning 11-6 11-4 11-0 against Aryaman Adik from India.

Next on is Affeeq Abedeen vs Mahesh Mangaonkar and Addeen Idrakie vs Danish Atlas Khan